Air-heater and steam-generator.



I PATENTED JAN. 6, 1903.

' T. S. G. LOWE.

AIR HEATER AND STEAM GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26, 1902.

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STATES NITED PATENT OFFICE.

AIR-HEATER AND STEAM-GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,008, dated January 6, 1903.

Original application filed July 12, 1901, Serial No. 71,751. Divided and this application filed September 25, 1902. Serial No. 124,761. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THADDEUS S. C. LOWE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Los Angeles, California, have invented certain Improvements in Air-Heaters and Steam- Generators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of gas from coking coal, and more particularly to a special form of air-heater and steamgenerator to be used in combination with one or more coking-ovens, this application being a division of my prior application, Serial No. 71,751, filed July 12, 1901, for patent for apparatus for the manufacture of coke and the recovery of gases therefrom.

My object is to provide such a heater and steam-generator for coke ovens which will not only heat the air to a high heat on its way to the coke-oven and absorb more effectively the heat from the waste products of combustion escaping from the oven through the generator, but will act as an efficient fixing-chamber for the gases derived from the mixture of the vapors and gases arising from the coking coal and decomposed steam,whereby the gas so made may be passed to a reservoir or through washers, scrubbers, or purifiers and thence used commercially. I accomplish these objects by the novel construction and details thereof, as hereinafter more particularly described, and pointed out in the claims, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows a transverse vertical section of a suitable coke-oven with my invention applied thereto.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a coke-oven having an arched top and of any suitable form, such as that shown in my prior application above referred to and preferably elongated. This oven is provided with a suitable valved charging-opening 2 and the usual discharge opening or openings.

(Not shown.) Communicating with the oven above the coke-line are two regenerative steam-generators 3 and 4:, located in any convenient relation to the oven, such as that shown in my prior applicatiomor built upon the oven structure, as shown in the drawing, and connected to the oven by fines 15 and 16,

opening, respectively, in the bottoms of the generators and heaters 3 and 4 and in the oven above the coke-line.

In the upper part of the steam-generators are two sets of metal bars or ironwork 11, separated by a space'19, into which water or steam may be introduced by pipes 13 and 14, which connect the respective spacesl9 of the generators 3 and 4 with any suitable source of steam or watersupply and terminate in suit able spraying or injecting devices 20 in said spaces. Valved air-inlet pipes 9 and 10 connect the respective spaces above the upper set of metal bars 11 in the generators 3 and 4 with a suitable air-supply, so that air introduced into the generators through such inlets shall be compelled to first pass downwardly through the metal bars on its way to the oven. The generators are provided with outlet-stacks 6 and 8 for waste products of combustion, said stacks being provided with outlet-controlling valves 5 and 7.

.Gas-outlet pipes 17 and 18 lead from their respective generators to a reservoir or suit able washers, scrubbers, or purifiers. In the lower part of the generators I preferably arrange a suitabe fire brick or checkerwork structure of suitable refractory material 12, which formsasuperheating-chamber between the metal bars and the oven; but it will be understood that these superheater structures may be omitted, if desired.

The operation is as follows: The oven or ovens and the-generators are first brought to a high degree of heat, usually by means of wood fires built in them, although, if desired, gas or preliminary coal fires may be employed for this purpose. After coal has been placed in the oven air is then admitted through the generator and heater 3 by way of the pipe 9 and passes through the same into the oven, there uniting with the gases evolved from the coke, and forming a combustible mixture it is burned in the oven or ovens. The products of combustion pass through the generator 4 and out ofthe stack 8, the valve? being open. When the oven is brought to the desired heat, the air-valve 9 and the stack-valve 7 are closed and the apparatus'is now in condition to make gas. Water or steam is now admitted through the pipe 13 into the space 19 of the stack 3, and coming into contact with the metal bars in the said generator it is converted into highly-superheated steam, and passing into the oven through the flue 15 it mingles with the vapors or gases evolved from the coke, and the collected gases pass into the heater and generator 4,where they become fixed and are conveyed thence through the pipe 18 to the reservoir or gas-purifying apparatus. After this operation has continued for a certain length of time the temperature of the chambers becomes lowered. The water or steam is then cut off from the generator 3 and admitted to the generator 4 for the purpose of driving the remaining gases to the opposite end to avoid explosion. The air-pipe lOis then opened and the stackvalve 5 opened, the valve 7 being now closed, and air is thus admitted to the generator 4and becomes highly heated in passing through the generator, and as it passes through the upper portion of the oven or ovens it mingles with the gases evolved from the coking coal and combustion takes place in the said oven or ovens, thereby restoring the heat of the ovens. The products of combustion pass into the generator 3 in a highly-heated condition and thence out through the stack 6, imparting on its passage a high heat to the metal bars 11. After the structure is brought to the desired heat the air-inlet 10 is cut off and the stackvalve 5 is closed, whereupon the apparatus is again in condition to make gas, which may be accomplished by admitting water or steam to the space 19 of the generator 4 through the pipe 14, whereupon itis converted into highlysuperhea'ted steam on its Way to the oven, as

before, and makes gas in the same manner,

which is fixed in the generator and heater 3 and is passed off through the pipe 17. It will be seen that the air passes first in one direction, then steam is passed in the same direction, then air is passed in the reversedirection, and the flow of steam follows in the same direction, though it will be understood that in some instances the steam may be passed through the apparatus in the opposite direction to that in which the air has passed, and this may be followed by a flow of air in the same direction. As a result of this mode of operation a permanent gas is derived from the coking coal, and incidentally the latter is made into coke, which may also be utilized.

The object of the second and upper set of metal bars or ironwork in the generators is to provide means for so heating the air that it will not reduce the temperature of the lower set of bars or ironwork below the point that will thoroughly convert into steam all water introduced and bring the same to a high degree of heat on its way to the oven before it reaches the superheating structure 12, and a further reason for providing this upper set of metal bars or ironwork above the water-spraying or steam-injecting device is to more thoroughly absorb the heat contained in the burned and waste gases while escaping through the stack and to cause the air of combustion formed or drawn by natural draft through valved openings to become considerably heated on its way to the coke oven or ovens.

I do not in this application claim the combination with one or more coke ovens of steam-generators on each side thereof and communicating therewith and the superheating-chambers between the generators and the ovens,as such combination in varying breadth forms a part of the subject of my prior application, SerialNo. 71,751, filed July 12, 1901; nor do I claim herein any part of the process of making coke and gas, or either of them, since these form a part of the subject of my prior application, Serial No. 95,498, filed February 25', 1902; but

I do claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. The combination, in an apparatus for making gas from coking coal, of a coke-oven, an air-heater and steam-generator the heating-surfaces of which are composed of upper and lower sets of metal bars or ironwork, means for admitting water to the lower set, means for supplying air to the upper set, and means for conveying the gases from the generator, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in an apparatus for making gas from coking coal, of a coke-oven, an air-heater and steam-generator on each side thereof and communicating with the same above the coking-line, two sets of metal bars in each generator separated by a space, means for introducing water or steam into said space, means for supplying air to the generator above the upper set of bars, and means for conveying the gases from the generator, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in an apparatus for making gas from coking coal, of a coke-oven, a steam-generator on each side thereof and communicating with the coke-oven above the coking-line, upper and lower sets of metal bars or ironwork in said generators, a valved air-inlet communicating with each of the generators above the said upper set, a steam or water supply pipe communicating with each of the generators between the said upper and lower sets, a waste-gas outlet for each of said generators, and a gas-outlet from each of said generators, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in an apparatus for making gas from coking coal, of a coke-oven, a steam-generator communicating therewith, upper and lower sets of metal bars in said generator, a valved air-inlet in the generator above the upper set of bars, a water or steam supply pipe communicating with the generator between the two sets of bars, a valve-outlet for the escape of waste products of combustion from the oven through the generator, and a pipe for carrying off the fixed gases from the generator, substantially as described.

5. The combination in an apparatus for In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

making gas from coking coal, of a coke-oven, an air-heater and steam-generator the heating-surfaces of which are composed of metal bars, means for admitting water to said bars, I THADDEUS S. O. LOWE.

5 means for supplying air and means for conveying gases from the generator, substantially as described. y

Witnesses:

LYNN HELM, ROGER S. PAGE. 

